Broken
by Little Gem Magnolia
Summary: The one where she still wears her wedding rings in public and he still introduces her as his wife. Why are they divorced again? Rated for lemon/lime.
1. Chapter 1

_Broken_

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of the characters.

 **Summary** : The one where she still wears her wedding rings in public and he still introduces her as his wife. Why are they divorced again?

 **Author's Note** : Alright guys, I know you're more than likely peeved that this isn't an update to _Parental Bond_ but I promise I'm working on that too! This is just something that popped into my head but doesn't necessarily fit into the PB universe as it's not really family-centered; it's more Jonya than anything. Set after the events of MKX and I hope you guys enjoy!

 **0000**

Sonya could feel someone's eyes on her as she sipped at her martini at the bar. Nonchalantly swiveling her stool, she scanned the crowded restaurant in an attempt to find the culprit. A Special Forces agent could never be too careful about the attention they received but her efforts were in vain. She tugged a bit on the hemline of her dress as she turned back to the bar and tuned back in to her daughter's recountment of her most recent mission.

She wasn't comfortable in something so short and she really wasn't comfortable in this restaurant, it was entirely too rich for her tastes, but Cassie enjoyed it. She found that the more time Cassie spent with her father, the more she enjoyed dressing up, going to expensive clubs and bars and, strangely enough, taking her mother along for the ride. Sonya had no qualms humoring her. If her little girl wanted to get dolled up on occasion, drink expensive drinks, eat expensive food and flirt with rich men, she was all too happy to comply.

At least she wasn't getting into trouble or getting poor Jacqui arrested...again. And, not that she'd ever admit it, but Sonya missed this part of her relationship with Johnny.

In all honesty, she missed a lot of her relationship with her ex husband but being on his arm with him showing her off like some sort of trophy wife held a special place in her memories of them. When she had been out with Johnny she hadn't been General Blade, she didn't save the world, no one had looked to her for orders. She had just been Sonya and that was always one of the more endearing things about the Johnny Cage she knew and loved.

He had loved and wanted her for her, because she was just Sonya and around her he could be just Johnny. He had treated her like a woman, not an army brat. It had been nice.

Being out with Cassie reminded her of that part of herself. She wished she could get back there again but she was afraid that, without Johnny, she didn't know how.

A shiver ran down her spine and she knew that she was being watched again. Before she could turn to see if she could spot the unwanted spectator to her one night out with her daughter, the hair on the back of her neck suddenly shot to attention.

There was only one person in the entire world who made her hair stand on end. One man who put her entire body on point and jumbled her mind in such a way that basic functions such as breathing and talking were too hard to conjure commands for.

John Carlton was somewhere in this restaurant, she could feel it.

Every base, animal instinct inside of her told her to run, that sharing the same space after all that had happened was a bad idea. She was so muddled and confused; he had almost died...again! It was part of the reason she'd pushed him away, not wanting him with her as she'd dealt with Kano in the refugee camp. Not only was he the biggest distraction that fate could have possibly thrown in her path but he died entirely too easily. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in him, she did but she also knew that, if faced with a life or death situation, he would more than likely die.

History said so.

She hadn't seen him since the doctors had taken his cast off and he'd no longer needed her assistance and she just couldn't face him right now.

"Well, looks like I've hit the jackpot," a smooth voice announced, cutting Sonya off just as she was about to suggest leaving. "I believe I've just stumbled upon the two finest ladies I've ever had the pleasure of setting eyes on. What do you think, Blake?"

Before Secretary Blake could summon a reply, Cassie had abandoned her bar stool and launched herself at her father who caught her with ease. Sonya bit her lip, trapping the chastisement about such behavior given Johnny's very recent recovery behind clenched teeth. No point in wasting the energy, she would only be ignored anyway.

"Daddy," Cassie practically squealed as Sonya silently marveled at Johnny's uncanny ability to seemingly revert their daughter into a five year old child. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

Johnny only laughed and kissed her temple. "It's a business meeting, princess. We're here to _eat_ dinner, not hunt, kill and skin it." His sass did nothing but land him on the receiving end of a patent-Blade glare that had him raising his hands in surrender. "I'm fine, really."

And that he was. He was the epitome of dashing in tailored pants and a white, casually buttoned dress shirt that contrasted nicely with his swarthy tone. In fact, aside from the hint of salt that peppered his hair and the oddly attractive lines that framed his eyes and mouth when he flashed the toothy, charming grin that he was known for, he looked exactly the same as he had on their wedding night.

She shook her head, scolding herself. Thoughts like that would do her no good, no good at all. They were still divorced and a few shared _moments_ during his recovery didn't change that.

"Secretary Blake," Johnny began, one arm still wrapped gallantly around Cassie. "You remember my daughter Cassandra and my lovely wife Sonya," he presented, gesturing to Sonya with a smile.

"Ex," she blurted, prompting everyone to look at her curiously. "Ex wife."

To anyone who didn't know him, Johnny was the very definition of unaffected but Sonya noticed how the smile left his eyes at the reminder. "Right," he drawled with ease. " _Ex_ wife."

If Secretary Blake noticed the air of tension that settled over the Cage clan at Johnny's slip of the tongue he was well-mannered enough to ignore it.

"Of course. It's a pleasure to see you both again," he expressed genially. "You know I was planning on treating John to dinner tonight to thank him for the wonderful job he did with the Outworld situation. Would you both like to join us? I mean it's only proper since the mission wouldn't have been such a success without your influence."

Sonya opened her mouth to decline but Cassie, seemingly sensing her mother's distress, beat her to it.

"Oh we couldn't possibly," she began, lying with a proficiency that unnerved her mother. "You probably have reservations for two and they're so busy it would be unfair to ask for a table upgrade. We'll be fine here at the bar. You boys go ahead."

Should she be proud or punish her?

And where on earth had she learned to lie like that?

Secretary Blake seemed content to take the youngest Cage's excuse at face value but Sonya could see Johnny's eyes narrowing thoughtfully at his daughter before flicking over to her.

Johnny knew that Cassie would never turn down the chance to spend time with him and if they had happened upon her with friends or alone she would have jumped at the dinner invitation. Sonya knew this as well and it sent a stabbing pang of guilt through her to think that her very presence was unintentionally driving a wedge between them.

A lopsided, cocksure grin crept over Johnny's face as he expertly maneuvered his way between his daughter and his ex, winding a muscled arm around each of them. "Ladies, I'm hurt," he mockingly groused, tugging Sonya closer meaningfully. "Do you mean to stand there and tell me that you don't believe that Johnny Cage, **the** Johnny Cage, can upgrade a table for two to a table for four?"

Cassie shared a look with her mother behind her father's back as he winked conspiratorially at an amused Secretary Blake. "Alright dad, you caught us," she began slowly. "We were cruising for guys."

Sonya jerked around, almost giving herself whiplash, to glare at her daughter who just shrugged sheepishly in return.

"Well isn't that a coincidence," Johnny began slyly. "Because we were just looking for two enchanting ladies to share dinner with. And since you were looking for companions," he teased glancing at them both. "And we were looking for companions, we can kill two birds with one stone."

Cassie caught Sonya's stare, brows furrowed helplessly as if to apologize for getting them into this mess in the first place.

"Alright, Johnny," Sonya conceded with a sigh. "You win."

Blue eyes brightened in victory and as Johnny removed his arm from around Cassie to wave down a waiter to change their table, Sonya glanced at Secretary Blake, who seemed to be _laughing_ behind his hand.

In all honesty she couldn't say she was overly surprised by the turn of events; Johnny always won. No matter what the battle was about - whether it was how to discipline Cassie to the divorce to integrating himself in her life and work at the base - he always found a way to persevere.

Johnny bowed and offered his arm to her with a wink as a waiter came by to escort them to their table. Looking up to see Cassie and their dinner companion already following the waiter arm in arm, and not wanting to seem ungrateful, Sonya sighed and looped her arm through her ex husband's.

It was going to be a long night.

 **0000**

No amount of polite conversation or shop-talk could distract Sonya from the glint in Johnny's eyes. Sitting across from him was downright unsettling. She caught every flicker of his eyes, every clench of his fist, every tick of his jaw.

When they had been married Sonya had never worried about the _straying eyes_ that she'd heard many other women talk about. Johnny had always treated her like she was the only woman in the room no matter how many attractive females threw themselves at him and tonight was no different. Their waitress had made her attraction very clear from the beginning, immediately striking Cassie's ire, but Johnny paid the much younger woman no mind as he nursed his scotch.

Half of her wished he would flirt with the waitress, if only to give her some kind of reprieve from his undivided attentions.

"Well," Cassie began yawning. Their run-in with Johnny and Secretary Blake, who they were now on a first name basis with, had made the night much longer than they'd originally intended. "This was a blast but I've got a five o'clock training session in the morning." With that she stood, prompting the two men at their table to stand as well.

Sonya followed her lead. "Yes I do believe it's time to turn in. We _both_ have a very early morning ahead of us," she agreed, casting a playful glance at Kent Blake. "Who do you think is running the training session?"

Laughing, Kent made his own polite excuses. "This has been fun, John but I too have business early in the morning. We should definitely do this again sometime, though. I'll have my people call your people."

As the trio turned to leave, Johnny cleared his throat. "Actually, Sonya, I was hoping you'd stick around a bit longer. I had some things I wanted to discuss with you."

Sonya froze and turned desperate eyes to Cassie. Why the hell couldn't she think with him around? If he were anyone else, she'd have an excuse at the ready and be half-way to the door by now.

"Uh...um..." Cassie stuttered, seemingly sharing in her inability to form coherent thought. "I'm sure she'd love to but...uh...we...took a taxi together and neither of us likes to take taxis alone." An uncomfortable pause and then: "You know, safety first."

Johnny cocked a disbelieving brow and flashed a toothy grin. "Oh I'm sure if we put our heads together we can come up with a solution to your transportation issues, angel."

"I'm sure my driver won't mind an extra stop, John," Kent suggested cordially. "I'd be glad take her home."

Johnny reveled in the deer-in-headlights look his ex wife now sported. There was nothing she could say. There was no way she could deny him his request, not in front of company. She had to save the tough-as-nails general reputation the soldiers at the base spoke of.

"Sure." Her voice was surprisingly calm while her insides, on the other hand, were dancing around and performing origami.

Cassie's mouth dropped open and she gaped and sputtered for a few minutes.

"Now, princess," Johnny began, crossing over to her and dropping a kiss to her forehead. "Daddy will make sure she gets home alright."

And somehow, Sonya didn't think she liked the sound of that.

 **0000**

"Have I told you that you look absolutely ravishing tonight?" Johnny wondered aloud as soon as Kent and Cassie were out of hearing distance. "Absolutely beautiful," he affirmed, holding out her chair and gesturing for her to retake her seat.

She smiled graciously, though her eyes held a tight edge at the corners. "Thank you."

Grinning easily, he waved their waitress over. "Would you relax?" he asked with a laugh.

Sonya watched as he ordered them a bottle of very expensive wine and smiled in thanks as the waitress brought them the bottle and poured them both a glass. "What makes you think I'm not calm?"

Cocking a teasing brow, he leant toward her. "Do you really want to get into that here?"

Gulping down a good portion of her wine, gaining some liquid courage in the process, she met him half way. "I think this is the perfect place to get into it seeing as how this is where you started it."

Letting out a husky laugh, he reached across the space between them and gently lifted her glass from her hand and set it out of her reach. While he wanted her tipsy enough to ease up and play along with his advances, he didn't want her so drunk that she lost the biting wit she was known for.

He didn't want her to lose her fight. The fight was what he wanted.

She just wasn't Sonya without it.

Holding fast when she would have liberated her hand from his grip, he ran his thumb across her knuckles. "Where would you like me to start?"

"How about from the beginning?" she shot back with an arched brow.

"Alright. What were you really doing here tonight?"

"Cassie told you: we were _cruising for guys_." She internally scoffed at herself. She could hardly believe that just came out of her mouth.

Tugging on her hand to acquire her full attention, Johnny lowered his voice as his eyes dropped to their hands. "In that dress I might believe you," he drawled coolly, giving her a heated once-over. "You know, if you weren't wearing your wedding rings."

Aghast, Sonya glanced down at their hands to see that she did, indeed, have on both her engagement diamond and her wedding band. Pulling back, she desperately tried to free her hand but he wasn't letting go so easily. "Force of habit," she supplied lamely, looking away with the hint of a blush on her cheeks.

Nodding in mock understanding, Johnny shifted, settling into the seat Cassie had vacated beside her. Scooting the chair closer to hers, he brought his other hand up to support her elbow, massaging the sensitive bone tenderly as he continued to stroke her knuckles. "Can I tell you something without you decking me?"

The low timbre of his tone contrasted just enough with the content of his words to keep her from falling completely under the spell of his charm. "Depends."

"I don't think I like that answer," he laughed, leaning closer to her.

"Well that's the only answer you're getting," she informed seriously. "I don't make promises."

He nodded with a smile. "Well I guess I'll have to take my chances then," he stated decisively, bringing his mouth to her ear, affording them a bit of privacy in the still happening restaurant. "You know when I first saw you at the bar in that dress -" the statement broke off, giving way to another impassioned sweep of darkened eyes. "And I use that term very loosely, I didn't think I could possibly be more turned on. Then as I approached and was blinded by the light off this _impractical_ and...what was it you used to call it? ' _Ostentatious display of my_ _ **ownership**_ _of you?'_ "

She nodded and blushed at the memory of when, where and in what context that statement had been made.

"Well I can honestly say that was the best sexual experience I've ever had."

Laughing, she slapped his arm. "Would you get serious?"

Her laughter was contagious and while it prompted him to join her, their shared mirth didn't discredit his declaration. He had been aroused to the point of pain at the sight of those rings on her finger after all this time. He didn't even know she still had them let alone would condescend to put them on without prodding from anyone.

"Sonya," he whispered, suddenly grave. "Why did you put them on?"

She looked up at him, fully intending to say whatever she could to deceive him, to keep him off the trail of her true feelings, her true desires but her eyes caught his before she could begin the lie. So open and vulnerable was he.

In that moment Johnny Cage was gone. He wasn't the confident, sure, larger than life superstar that had everyone and their grandmother fooled as to who he really was. Right now he was John Carlton. He was the man who loved her, the man who had tried so hard to make their marriage work. He was the man who gave her up because he thought that was what she wanted. Right now he was the father of their little girl. The man who had been at every little league game, every parent-teacher conference. The man who had opted out on the red carpet so that he could make their daughter's graduation.

She couldn't lie to that man. She'd lied to him too many times already.

She averted her gaze to search for her wine glass but found it on the far side of the table. She really needed a drink for this. She couldn't do this without a drink first; just a small one.

He must have read her gaze because he suddenly released her hand to grab the glass. He handed it off to her silently and watched as she downed the rest of it. She took a deep breath, as though to speak but seemed to think better of it and turned to reach for the wine bottle instead.

Johnny intercepted her sneaky little fingers, returning them to their previous home between his much larger ones and, with a gentle squeeze, brought her back to him.

She took another deep breath and looked down at their connected fingers. "I always wear them when Cassie and I go out."

He held his breath. He wouldn't get his hopes up until he heard the words he wanted to hear come from her mouth first. He couldn't be disappointed again. "Why?"

She shook her head and tapped her chin with the index finger of her free hand. "Cassie's forever choosing these types of dresses and with her it's always bars and men."

He nodded. Unfortunately that sounded like his warrior princess to a T and he could definitely see Cass' influence on his ex wife's current state of dress. Short, tight, lots of flare; trademark Cassie Cage.

"It's easier to politely turn away the attention we get if it looks like I'm still married."

And it was, that definitely wasn't a lie. She fought every day of her life; going out to a bar with her daughter shouldn't be a fight. Flashing a couple of diamonds under a pushy guy's nose usually did the trick and if it didn't, then the guy was just asking for a beat-down.

Sliding to the edge of his seat, bringing their proximity to just this side of scandalous, Johnny made his way back to her ear. "And why would you want to turn away the attention?"

She shivered as his breath warmed her neck. "I-It's just that," she faltered as his lips boldly met the skin behind her ear.

How had she ended up here, being sent to heaven and back by her ex husband in a _crowded_ restaurant?

And more importantly, why wasn't she stopping him?

Why didn't she want to stop him?

She should stop him.

"Johnny," she breathed, placing a hand on his chest with the intent of pushing him back to give herself some space. "We can't do this here."

Pulling back just enough to catch her dazed expression, he caught her jaw in one hand. "But we _can_ do this?"

The question was hopeful and it was hard to see such a strong, confident man reduced to the soulful, insecure shell sitting in front of her.

"We shouldn't."

The hand on her jaw dropped to her knee before slowly sliding upward to the hemline of her dress. "That's not the same as _can't_ ," he groaned against her ear. "Because I want you and believe me, I _can_."

Her breath quickened as the tips of his fingers crept under her dress and the flat hand she'd placed on his chest to push him away turned into a fist, gripping his shirt and pulling him closer. "If we do this, it shouldn't be just because we _can_."

He nodded. "We've done too many things just because we can," he agreed, brushing his thumb across the rings on the hand he still held as she tugged harder on his shirt, bunching it around his already tense biceps. "We got divorced because we could and I don't know about you but that was the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life."

Her eyes shot to his, shining with unshed tears and his hand stopped the progress it was making up her thigh. "What are you saying?"

His hand unconsciously tightened on her leg as he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the base of her ring finger, just below the rings.

Her rings.

 _His_ rings.

"I'm saying that you better think long and hard before you let me keep going because if I ever get you back in my bed, there's no way in hell I'm ever letting you leave it again."

 **0000**

 _This became a monster. Like literally. I was not expecting this at all when I envisioned this scenario and I really don't know what to say. Since I've never conjured up a lemon before, I'm content to leave this as is unless enough people want me to continue it. If that happens, well then I'll try to channel all the sexy I'm capable of and finish what I started so everyone remember to review and let me know what you think._


	2. Chapter 2

_Broken_

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of the characters because, if I did, Jonya would still be married and have a million awesome, smartass babies just like Cassie.

 **Author's Note** : Thanks so much for the amazing reception to the first part of this fic, everyone! I'm really, really glad that you guys enjoyed it and I hope this last part doesn't disappoint.

 **0000**

Her breath caught in her throat at the intensity of his gaze and the meaning behind his words.

Was she dreaming?

Was he serious?

There was no way he could possibly still want her after all this time but even as her eyes caught his she knew that wasn't true. He wanted her, just as badly as she wanted him and it made her wonder why they'd even gotten divorced in the first place.

Was it truly because they could?

While part of her wanted to deny him, she just couldn't bring herself to. Not after all these years apart. Not after all this time, _wondering_ what it would have been like if they had been able to make it work.

If they did this now, she would make sure that they didn't go there again. She couldn't lose him twice.

Tugging on his shirt to bring him closer, she brought her face to his. "Well gee, now I'm turned on," she murmured, coquettishly angling her head so that their lips were perfectly in line, giving him easy access should he decide to take advantage of their proximity.

And for a moment she thought he would.

He dove in as though to capture her lips but stopped short. When she grew impatient and moved to meet him the rest of the way he pulled back, retreating to her ear instead. "It's not nice to play games, Sonya," he informed lowly, gently nipping her earlobe in punctuation.

"I'm not playing," she whispered breathlessly, panting as seductive lips trailed to the sweet spot just behind her jaw that turned her bones into jelly. The spot that he _knew_ made her knees weak; the spot he loved to exploit every chance he got.

Growling against her skin, the hand on her thigh slid behind her knee and jerked forward, lifting it and bringing her leg up against his. She gasped at the sudden change of position and warily glanced around the restaurant. They hadn't attracted too much attention yet but some of the patrons in their general vicinity were giving them knowing looks.

They needed to get out of here before they landed themselves on the cover of the next celebrity tabloid. She could practically see it now:

 **Cage and Ex Caught Getting Frisky in Bar (** _ **cont. on pg 5**_ **)**

And Cassie would have a field day, especially if Johnny kept pawing at her like some horny teenager.

"I'm warning you," he rasped, scandalously guiding her hand to his lap, letting her feel the gravity of the situation. "Once we go here we can never go back." He paused and when she didn't respond, continued. "I mean it. We can never go back to being a divorced couple, we can never be indifferent parents. You can never shut me out."

Applying pressure to his burgeoning desire and making him groan she leaned forward, lips lightly brushing his. "I think I can manage that."

Releasing her hand so that he could snake his now freed fingers to the back of her neck, he squeezed gently at her nape, breaking through the cloud of longing that hovered around them and bringing her back to her senses. "You can't think, babe," he stated seriously, resting his forehead against hers. "You need to know. You have to _know_ , with one hundred percent certainty that I am what you want because I'm not letting go this time; I refuse."

She nodded wordlessly and without hesitation, prompting a smile to curl at his lips. Pulling back marginally, he tilted her face as though he might kiss her but paused just before sealing the deal. "Now say it," he ordered in a gravely husk that sent chills down her spine.

She opened her mouth to comply, she knew exactly what he wanted, but he cut her off before she could deliver.

"But only if you mean it."

His eyes were so vulnerable it made her insides ache.

"I want you," she rasped shamelessly. "I love you."

And that was all he needed to finally close the distance, throwing all of the teasing touches and almost kisses behind them. This was real, this was them and as soon as their lips met the fire that had been simmering just beneath the surface all night exploded.

His large hands framed her face as he drank from her, stealing her breath and demanding more. It was everything and yet not enough. Never enough. He could never have enough of her.

Her mind was reeling and the only thing that kept her grounded to the here and now was the buzz of the restaurant around them. A whine escaped her as she pulled back but they didn't part for long. He followed her retreat, reclaiming her lips with a triumphant growl that sent pleasure spiking through her veins.

"Johnny," she whimpered against his lips, exciting him further if the ardent intensity of his onslaught was anything to go by. "We should take this somewhere else," she suggested, weakly pushing against his chest.

He looked as if he wanted to protest but a meaningful nod to their surroundings had him thinking otherwise. Reluctantly nodding in agreement, he absently threw a sizable tip on the table before taking her hand and practically dragging her from the establishment.

 **0000**

Connected at the lips, they stumbled noisily through the darkened house.

Sonya laughingly shushed him as he tripped over the end of the couch, the resulting jolt to the furniture knocking the lamp that called the end-table _home_ off balance. "You're going to wake, Cassie," she warned, reaching out a hand to steady the lamp before it fell.

"Well I might be a bit more coordinated if you had been able to keep your hands to yourself on the ride here," he shot back tightly. "Either my memory is getting bad or you've turned into some kind of nymphomaniac in our years apart because I don't remember you being so devious."

A Cheshire grin curled at her mouth as the hand that had righted the lamp crept toward his now open shirt. "Well I am in my prime," she informed demurely, pulling him toward her.

"I can see that," he mumbled, grunting as his pelvis collided with hers.

"And it's really your own fault."

A brow rose questioningly. "Oh yeah?"

She nodded decisively, giving his shirt another swift tug. "No one turns me on quite like you do," she confessed, dropping a kiss to his collarbone before turning and striding down the hall.

Shaking himself from his lustful stupor, he followed her. "Uh babe," he called, a bit confused as she waltzed right past the master bedroom. "I think this is our stop."

Sonya stopped, turning slowly as she tried to quickly think of an explanation.

How could she tell him that she hadn't used that bedroom since their divorce?

What would that say about her?

What would he think?

He didn't give her time to concoct a lie as he reached out, hooking an arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Something you wanna tell me?"

Sighing, she mentally thanked god for the lack of light. This would be easier in the dark. Revealing secrets and truths was always easier in the dark. "I don't sleep here anymore," she revealed with an absent gesture to the door of their bedroom. "I haven't slept here in a very long time."

She sensed his confusion, felt his hand clench at her hip and somehow knew that the little muscle in his jaw that she found so strangely attractive was ticking rapidly.

It always did when he was irritated and she _knew_ that he was irritated.

The silence seemed to stretch on forever and while this new information did nothing to diminish his obvious arousal, she still felt apprehension seep into her limbs. If only he would say something, do something.

Suddenly she was in his arms, cradled against his chest like some blushing bride on her wedding day.

"Well, not to burst your bubble or anything but that's about to change," he grumbled, opening the door and stepping through before kicking it shut with more force than was strictly necessary. "I didn't spend thousands of dollars redecorating this room to your liking just so that it could sit around and collect dust for five or six years." He set her back on her feet before turning around and beginning to pace. "Did you really hate me that much that you couldn't even stand to be in this room?"

Blue eyes narrowed as she stepped in his path, halting his agitated stride. "Oh don't even go there with me. I didn't ask for a divorce," she reminded sourly. "That was all you."

"You think I wanted to get divorced?" he croaked, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her. "After I chased you, trying to get you to give me the time of day and then spent all that time convincing you to accept an engagement? Then there's the time it took to get you to finally set a date and let's not forget the agonizing twenty four hours that I wasn't allowed to see you before the wedding because of that dumbass tradition. The twenty four hours I spent worrying that you would decide I wasn't good enough and just not show up at the church."

She opened her mouth to interject but he wouldn't allow it.

"Do you honestly believe that I wanted to end our marriage? Leave the only woman I've ever loved, the woman who blessed me with the best daughter a guy could ask for, so that I could spend the rest of my life alone?" He paused, seemingly waiting for an answer but she didn't have one. "I didn't go out partying the night we signed the papers, Sonya," he informed, taking a step forward which in turn prompted her to take a step back. "I didn't put myself out there like some bachelor or go around sleeping with young girls who just wanted a piece of fame. Do you know what I did?"

She shook her head dumbly as he continued to back her into the wall on the far side of the bedroom.

"I trained my ass off and made some movies before joining the Special Forces to be closer to you _and_ Cassie. I've done everything in my power to just survive until we could find our way back to each other and you can't even stand to sleep in our bedroom?"

Gulping as her back hit the wall, Sonya held out a hand to keep him from completely closing in on her but he paid her no mind as he pressed himself against her, trapping her hand between them. "It's not that I couldn't stand the bedroom," she began quietly, focusing on his chest. "I couldn't stand thinking that I had failed you as a wife."

Johnny could feel his anger soften at her confession and while he wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and comfort her, he had to know. He had to hear, once and for all, why things had ended the way they did.

"I know that I got caught up in saving the world but you have to know that I didn't mean to push you away," she pleaded. "Everything just started closing in and I didn't want to burden you with how I was feeling so I hid it. Then one day I looked up and you were gone."

The tears she'd been able to hold in at the restaurant finally began to slide down her face and a white hot feeling shot through him.

They had made each other miserable for years because of some stupid misunderstanding?

She had never stopped loving him, and he sure as hell had never stopped loving her. It was all a mistake?

They had missed an entire decade of their forever because she'd been too proud to come to him with her problems and he'd been too hurt to consider that she needed a push.

And the agony they'd caused Cassie. He could still see his little girl's tears and tantrums very vividly in his mind's eye.

"That will never happen again," he vowed, winding his arms around her and pulling her as close as physics would allow. "We'll never get to that place again."

She shook her head, tilting her face up to meet his descending lips. "Never," she agreed.

And as he kissed her, she realized she'd never meant anything more in her life.

The fire that had been ignited at the restaurant burned even hotter than before despite their argument, or maybe because of it. Now that everything was out in the open there was nothing between them, nothing standing in their way...except maybe that pesky dress she was wearing but a few sharp tugs should take care of that.

Impatient hands trailed from her waist to her hips before skimming around to her backside, pausing only to deliver a sharp slap that had her moaning wantonly against his mouth before finally reaching the hemline of the attention-grabbing slip of a dress he still couldn't believe she'd worn out in public.

He tore his mouth from hers as he began to tug the shimmering fabric upwards. "Never wear this dress again," he demanded through clenched teeth, greedily eyeing every inch of skin that was revealed. His efforts suddenly met resistance and her breath hitched in her throat as his eyes darkened, narrowing at where the material of her dress had caught his zipper.

"You don't like it?" she asked with a girlish pout.

"Oh I love it. And so did every other man who saw you in this thing," he snarled, pulling almost desperately at the stubborn frock.

His expression turned sinister and she opened her mouth to warn him against his current train of thought but she was too late. Bunching the fabric tight in his fists, he flashed her a toothy, self-satisfied grin before tearing the dress in half.

His grin faltered a moment as he scanned her now naked form but didn't disappear completely as he continued to revel in his victory over that stupid dress. "Would it have killed you to wear underwear?"

Rolling her eyes and crossing her arms she said: "The material is so thin it shows everything; I didn't want panty lines."

Snagging her around the waist and hauling her over his shoulder, he sent another swift slap to her behind. "The next time you go parading around in something so damn short, I assure you panty lines will be the least of your worries," he warned darkly as he tossed her in the middle of their bed.

She shrieked and threw him a nasty glare as he removed his shirt and crawled toward her. "You know I don't remember you being this possessive," she groused snidely, mocking his earlier statement.

Grabbing her hands and pinning them above her, he took immense pleasure in finally having her under him. "Oh yeah? Well I don't remember having to worry about you flaunting your assets everywhere."

"They're my assets to do with as I please," she reminded with a roll of her eyes. "Besides, I told you: the dress was Cassie's idea."

"Oh don't worry, she's in trouble too," he appeased, nipping at the underside of her jaw. "And never forget that these assets," he began, palming her ass roughly as he delivered a particularly savage bite to her neck. "Are mine."

She momentarily thought to ask him who the hell he thought he was but as his tongue smoothed over the painful mark he'd left she couldn't bring herself to care.

The mark she was sure would be there in the morning.

The mark she would have to explain to their daughter and probably the rest of the base.

He was in so much trouble when this was over.

He didn't seem too worried though as he continued to explore her body. It had been so long since they'd been here that he was determined to savor every bit of it. He had dreamed of this so many times that it was hard to believe it was actually happening but her nails in his back kept him grounded.

"Johnny," she whined, arching into him as his lips traveled to her breasts.

He groaned, grinding down against her as she rose to meet him. He could feel the moist evidence of her desire through his pants as he feasted on her like an inmate having his last meal.

She was killing him.

"I'm not a young man anymore," he grunted against her breast. "Keep that up and this won't be nearly as satisfying as it should be."

She giggled, the nails of one hand scraping his shoulder as the other raked through his hair. "Do you mean to tell me," she began breathlessly, eyes glinting playfully. "That Johnny Cage, **the** Johnny Cage is too old to thoroughly satisfy a woman?"

Quicker than she could blink, his face was hovering over hers, eyes narrowed in displeasure. "Too old?" he parroted, snarling fiercely as she nodded with a grin. "I'll show you old."

After a series of jerky, rushed movements he was inside of her. His girth combined with the delicious friction his pants created had her thrashing underneath him with every rotation of his hips.

Too old her ass, he was perfect. S _he_ was the one who couldn't handle this. He knew where to caress, where to kiss, how hard to thrust, when to speed up and when to slow down. He knew the exact combination that had her seeing stars in record time and as she screamed her release into the night, she couldn't help but feel that here, in his arms, was where she was always meant to be.

 **0000**

Sonya awoke feeling sated, refreshed, warm. Yawning, she tried to turn over and shut out the glaring light of the sun but for some reason her body just wasn't listening to her mind's commands. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes to look for the source of her confinement and she didn't have to search long.

Sprawled across her, fast asleep like some overgrown child, was Johnny Cage. Raking her nails lightly over his scalp, she smiled despite herself.

He was here. It hadn't been a dream, it had been real and he was still here.

After last night she hadn't been sure what she would wake up to. Everything had happened so fast and, while he'd talked a good game then, he could still change his mind in the harsh light of day.

She hoped he wouldn't change his mind. She didn't know what she'd do if he changed his mind.

He shifted at the light touch, nuzzling her chest as he fought the disruption of his sleep. She brought her other hand up to her mouth to stifle her giggles but he heard her anyway.

Blearily lifting his head, he caught her gaze and a goofy smile curled at his mouth. "I love you."

"I love you too," she returned, tracing the bridge of his nose with a teasing finger.

He nipped at the wandering digit. "This isn't going to be easy," he cautioned, tone serious even as he caught her finger gently between his teeth.

She sighed as he nibbled at the tender skin around her nail. "Nothing worth having ever is."

Apparently satisfied with her response, he released her finger with a noisy _pop_ and crawled up her body, settling between her legs. "Just making sure we're on the same page."

Tugging him to her level by the hand still in his hair, she kissed the worry line in the middle of his brow before trailing down to his lips. He groaned and shifted, rubbing against her enticingly.

"Really?"

He shrugged sheepishly. "It's morning and you're still naked. I can't just turn it off, you know."

Using her training and intimate knowledge of the man above her, she flipped them expertly. "Anything I can do to help?"

He nodded and pulled her down for another kiss. "Now _this_ I remember."

 **0000**

 _Okay so that was my very first almost, kinda/sorta but not really lemon. I hope I didn't mess this up with my lousy sexy-time skills._

 _As always, please review._


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